Career Center

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The University of Washington Tacoma is an anchor institution that is deeply invested in its local communities and in student success. As one of three campuses of a world-class university, UW Tacoma is dedicated to interdisciplinary and innovative teaching and scholarship and to engaging the community in mutually beneficial partnerships. UW Tacoma’s commitment to access and diversity is central to an environment where students, staff, faculty and South Sound residents find abundant opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth. The campus aspires to establish its own unique UW brand by becoming the premiere mid-sized public university campus in the country. It will accomplish this by operating at the intersection of access and excellence as it provides transformative experiences in a nurturing and inclusive environment that boldly embraces the assets of our diverse student body. In addition to traditional research, the campus champions faculty’s public scholarship that includes our community partners and instills in students, not only a deep sense of belonging, but also inspires them to embrace the civic-minded and social justice principles of their learning experiences into their subsequent lives and careers. More information about UW Tacoma and its strategic plan can be found here UW Tacoma Strategic Plan.

UW Tacoma Office for Equity and Inclusion has an outstanding opportunity for a Director of Cross-Cultural Engagement

The Office of Equity and Inclusion cultivates an institutional vision and commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence to ensure an equitable environment for all members of the UW Tacoma community. This means paying attention to policies and practices involving management, leadership, communication, resources, scholarship, and community. We focus attention on the demographic composition of UW Tacoma and our surrounding community of the South Puget Sound to be certain that we know who our students, faculty, staff, and community partners are in order to better serve and work with all.

The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement is a key staff member of the Office for Equity and Inclusion (E&I) and supports the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion by developing and implementing major campus engagement programs, activities, trainings, and resources designed to build and nurture a safe and welcoming community that elevates a sense of belonging for all students, staff, faculty, and members of the Tacoma community and broader region. The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement will support the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion in advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion mission of the University of Washington Tacoma; may be delegated to represent the VCEI at campus and community events when necessary.

The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement will manage the development and implementation of progressive programs that mentor and retain students, as well as, engage, support and educate the campus community on social justice issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition, the individual will facilitate the use of pedagogical strategies that support and affirm different student backgrounds, intersecting social identities, and experiences while developing strong critical thinking skills for global citizenry. This also includes supporting curriculum development that focuses on diversity and addresses the social construction of differences as well as the causes and effects of structural inequality.

The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement will advance the mission of the UW Tacoma Office of Equity & Inclusion through developing and maintaining a strong network of community and education partners to help provide pathways for underrepresented students to achieve educational goals.

The role of the Director of Cross-Cultural Engagement requires a high sense of professional and personal integrity, and an authentic commitment to community building. It requires the ability to handle multiple tasks and attend to multiple levels of the university system simultaneously while maintaining a high level of accuracy and positive professional demeanor. It also demands the ability to take initiative and work in a self-directed manner.  This position involves a high level of leadership, coordination, initiative, and diplomacy while working with various levels of campus and community stakeholders, including deans and other campus leaders.

Duties & Responsibilities
40%-- The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement will provide leadership to the University of Washington Tacoma with respect to the following activities:
1. Foster community among underrepresented and underserved students, staff, and faculty serving as an advocate for the needs of these communities in and out of the classroom, and enhancing their intellectual, personal, social, leadership, and identity development.
2. Partner with staff in the UW Tacoma Division of Student Affairs to provide advising support to student organizations and leaders from these communities and encourage their involvement in campus life and leadership and advocacy based initiatives and programs.
3. Provide support and advocacy for registered student organizations interested in organizing around issues related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion and their intersections, with the goal of fostering cross-cultural interaction and promoting learning and engagement around social justice.
4. Develop, implement and/or support programmatic initiatives that foster learning about diversity and multiculturalism and its relationship to leadership development for all UW Tacoma students by collaborating with faculty and staff across campus units and departments.
5. Work with established boards, committees, registered student organizations, and others to garner input and receive feedback on the priority, focus, and effectiveness of equity and inclusion programs and services.

30%--The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement will have responsibility for OEI initiatives and programs, to include:
1. Coordinate the LEAD Institute (Leading for Equity, Antiracism and Diversity) which is an 8 week cohort based leadership development program for faculty, staff and administrators.
2. Oversee the coordination of OEI initiatives and programs that promote leadership and advocacy to achieve equitable representation for graduate students of color.
3. Elevate cross-cultural competence among staff, faculty and students.
4. Develop and implement, in collaboration with the VCEI and various campus stakeholders, diversity guidelines, tools, policies and procedures to promote diversity and inclusive excellence at the University of Washington Tacoma.
6. Oversee the coordination and management of the Bias Incident Response process for the University of Washington Tacoma by working in tandem with a  campus-wide team including leaders from Campus Safety, Title IX liaison and Academic HR to support targeted individuals affected by bias incidents, collect bias incident reporting data, refer incidents to the appropriate disciplinary body for investigation, and generate reports as well as educate the campus community about ways to foster a safe and inclusive community.

30%-- The Director of Cross Cultural Engagement will have the following assessment, reporting, and strategic planning responsibilities:
1. Partner with other EI staff to develop and implement relevant assessments that document the impact of OEI’s various programs, activities, and initiatives.
2. Coordinate the development of OEI’s monthly report.
3. Coordinate the development and dissemination of OEI’s monthly newsletter.
4. Work collaboratively with the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion to shape short-term and long-range strategic plans to address the DEI needs of the University of Washington Tacoma.

Minimum Requirements:

Master's Degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Social Justice Education, Multicultural Education, Counseling or a related field from an accredited institution of higher education.

Minimum of 3 years’ experience working with student populations in an administrative capacity.

Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing programs that promote student learning about identity and difference within the context of a multicultural society.

Possess sound judgment, high emotional intelligence, maturity, sensitivity to the complexities of identity development, and passion for effecting change in dynamic multicultural environments.

Knowledge of diversity theories and practices, and needs assessment and evaluation in higher education.

Background in event programming and implementation.

Strong oral and written communication skills.

Excellent interpersonal, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Demonstrated self-starter with excellent critical thinking skills and ability to assess needs, lay out plans and follow through.

Ability to work effectively with students, faculty, staff, administrators and local community members.

Successful experience in a work setting that requires teamwork and cooperative working relationships.

Ability to work autonomously and make independent decisions.

Demonstrated success with supervising students and volunteers.

Strong demonstrated proficiency in use of technology to support OEI administrative functions.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Desired Qualifications:

Ph.D. degree in Higher Education/Student Affairs/Multicultural Education or a related field.

Experience with structures for creating an inclusive multicultural environment in higher education institutions.

Experience in providing leadership development and advising support to identity-based student organizations strongly preferred.

Experience and interest in working with students of color, LGBT-identified students, and multiple, intersecting identity student issues is strongly preferred.

Experience in teaching courses on racial identity development and social justice theory preferred.

Supervisory experience working with professional and graduate student staff.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.